I am not as addicted to social media as most people I know, but I do maintain a Facebook page and Facebook and LinkedIn profiles. I happened to be perusing the profile of a friend who crossed over to the Other Side last week and came across the quiz, “What Color is Your Soul?” Being that I have taken several personal growth classes, I was intrigued by this quiz and thus spent a few minutes answering questions. Upon completion, I was informed that the color of my soul is silver. I was tickled pink to discover this because my book, Mirror of the Soul, is a reference to the precious metal silver on account of its extraordinary reflective ability. Silver instruments have the purest tones as well. I have played a silver flute for 35 years, so there is no better color for a flutist! After posting the results of my quiz, my fiancé also gave it a try and discovered his soul is also silver. He is my mirror, so this was not surprising to me. I truly believe that it was no accident I met him just as my book was going into production. In the words of Dr. Wayne Dyer, there are no accidents in an intelligent universe, and we experience synchronicity to let us know that we are on the right track.

I like to think of myself as an eternal optimist even though life circumstances are not always ideal. When I was being educated in the public school system as a child, I was extremely shy and afraid of my own shadow. In junior high school, however, I met two people who would have a profound impact on my life – my best friend, Flip, and a flutist named Martin. Flip loved life and loved to laugh, and she convinced me beyond a shadow of a doubt that laughter was the best medicine for the soul. We laughed until we graduated from high school, and, to this day, I continue to laugh as a form of therapy! Martin was the best flutist in the junior high school band. He had no competition when it came to the audition process, but I somehow managed to hold my own and play respectably. He intimidated me because he was so driven and studied flute with members of the Philadelphia Orchestra. He could recite the names of every principal flutist in every orchestra in the USA as well. It wasn’t until I was in high school that I felt comfortable enough to play duets with him, and we did so often for hours at a time. Kuhlau was our favorite duet composer, and we practiced every opus of duets he ever wrote. Martin even convinced the shyest person in the school (yours truly) to perform a Kuhlau duo at the spring concert his senior year. It went very well, but if I close my eyes, I can still feel the dry mouth I had that night as we stood up on the Coughlin High School stage. By the time we played Kuhlau on stage at West Chester University my senior year, I was slightly more seasoned and exuded more confidence. I liked performing with him because he challenged me to play way beyond the best of my ability. No one else could ever match his raw talent. He also encouraged me to pursue studies with a Philadelphia Orchestra flutist. I was apprehensive at first, but we both decided to play a duet for David Cramer so neither one of us would be “put on the spot.” We chose a Haydn London Trio, and David was very helpful. I liked Dave so much that I began studying flute with him on a regular basis. He was the greatest influence on the third decade of my life, and to this day I am proud to call him mentor.

Martin attended the two graduate recitals I gave at the University of the Arts and the two alumni recitals I performed there as well. As a graphic designer, he created the invitations and concert programs for all my concerts. We attended Philadelphia Orchestra concerts together every week for the two years he lived in the city. We loved waiting in line at the Academy of Music for amphitheater tickets and discussing music and the orchestral flutists with other concertgoers. I lost touch with Martin after he moved to Reading, PA, but saw him at two different flute society events before he once again dropped off my radar. We reconnected on Facebook about two years ago and corresponded via email for the past year. When Mirror of the Soul was published in July of 2015, I posted the Amazon link on social media. Martin saw it on Facebook, purchased it as an e-book within an hour and then read the entire text in one sitting. He then wrote me a beautiful email informing me how much he liked the book and enjoyed my blog, which had conjured up some old memories for him.

Five weeks ago, I got a message that he had lymphoma and would be going through treatment, so he asked me to call him. I spoke to him for over three hours and was stunned at how philosophical he was regarding his illness and everything he had accomplished in his life. He was unsure of what his outcome would be but was at peace with whatever happened to him. He made a point of congratulating me on my engagement, which happened on 28 September 2016. My honey proposed on bended knee on a trip to Niagara Falls. It was the perfect magical moment, and I posted pictures on Facebook. Martin said I never looked happier. I have always been a happy-go-lucky person, but I did not know true joy until I fell in love with Jay. We mirror each other in many ways, and he makes me feel like a teenager. We are a dynamic duo, and our superpower is transcending the mundane. Martin asked to meet this man I had given my heart to because he had to be extraordinary, especially since love had never found me before. We planned to get together to play duets in the new year and perhaps have dinner with my fiancé. He died five days ago. While he was dying, I was trying on wedding gowns. His last words to me on the phone were to “be happy and plan a beautiful wedding.” I got the phone call of his passing the day after I bought the perfect dress. Music has always been a way for me to transcend life’s circumstances. I am more confident playing the flute than doing anything else in my life. The flute has been with me through my greatest joys as well as unbelievable sorrows. In addition to the flute, I am grateful to have the love of my life by my side. Our duo is magical and more precious than silver. He has my heart forever and always! Those duets I played with Martin helped me transcend the ups and downs of high school and set me on a path to lifelong joy and fulfillment. I am grateful to him for that. I was hoping to be able to capture some of that Kuhlau magic one last time, but God had other plans. Perhaps another time! Godspeed, my friend. I will miss you!